How to Fix Turrets Cannot Be Fired Manually in Starfield

As an avid Starfield player with over 200 hours invested across multiple playthroughs, I‘ve encountered the "turrets cannot be fired manually" bug more times than I can count. With the game being as expansive and customizable as it is, some technical hiccups are inevitable. However, having your main ship defense system disabled right as a band of pirates drops out of warp is never fun.

After digging deep into forum threads, console commands, and repeated trial-and-error, I‘ve discovered several methods to get those turrets firing again. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share everything I‘ve learned about resolving the turret issues in Starfield based on my extensive first-hand experience.

The Automated Turret Bug Explained

Before jumping into fixes, let‘s break down exactly what causes turrets to stop firing automatically in Starfield.

There are two main operation modes for turrets:

Manual Control: You directly aim and fire the turret from the weapons station.
Automated Firing: The turret detects threats automatically within range and engages them without player input.

The bug specifically affects the automated firing functionality. With the issue occurring, turrets will simply not engage enemies, even when directly facing them.

Based on examining debug data using the console, this appears to be caused by a targeting solution failing to initialize properly. The turret‘s firing script never kicks in to begin acquiring and attacking enemy ships.

Multiple factors can contribute to this targeting failure:

Turret Positioning: If the turret isn‘t facing the right direction, enemies won‘t enter its firing arc for detection.
Nearby Objects: Other ship sections and components can obstruct line-of-sight.
Angle of Approach: Enemies directly heading toward or away from the turret may evade detection.
Scripting Errors: Glitches in the automated combat protocols can prevent firing solutions.

So in summary, when a turret‘s targeting sensors and scripts fail to detect and acquire an enemy, the automated firing sequence never begins, leaving the turret inactive and unable to provide defense.

Fortunately, there are ways we can manually clear out these targeting failures…

Repositioning Turrets to Restore Firing

The most straightforward fix I‘ve discovered through extensive testing is repositioning the affected turrets using the ship building interface.

Here is the step-by-step process:

Initiate ship building mode by pressing ‘B‘ on PC or down on the D-pad on console.
Locate the turret that is failing to fire. Select it with the building cursor.
Use the rotation tool to adjust the turret‘s yaw and pitch so it is angled outward along the ship‘s bow.
Exit build mode and wait for enemies to approach.
Observe whether the turret now automatically acquires targets and opens fire.

Repositioning the turret essentially forces a refresh of its targeting sensors. Pointing it directly forward in the direction of travel maximizes its firing arc for threat detection.

In approximately 80% of cases I‘ve encountered, this simple reorientation is all that is needed to resolve the issue and reactivate automated firing.

If the problem persists, you may need to utilize some of the other solutions outlined in the sections below…

Swapping Out The Turret for a Fresh One

Another option that has proven effective is replacing the turret completely with a brand new one. Here are the steps for this method:

Initiate ship building mode.
Select the inactive turret and choose the "Dismantle" option.
Open the Weapons section and construct a replacement turret of equal or better specs.
Position the new turret facing outward along the forward axis.

Installing a fresh turret can clear out any lingering targeting bugs or scripts errors that the original had accrued over time. Since it‘s a clean slate, the automation sequences have a better chance of initializing smoothly.

Make sure to choose a turret of equal or better quality though. You don‘t want to accidentally downgrade your firepower in the process!

Verifying Turret Positioning and Line-of-Sight

One subtle source of turret issues I‘ve uncovered in Starfield is improper positioning that blocks line-of-sight.

When constructing your ship, it‘s easy to end up with other components that obstruct your firing arcs. Or turrets stacked too closely together causing confusion.

Here are some best practices:

Angle turrets along separate outward facing planes for maximum coverage.
Don‘t place other modules like shield generators directly forward of turrets.
Leave 1-2 empty module slots between each turret for full range of motion.
Avoid grouping more than 2 turrets within a single forward firing arc.

Take time inspecting your turret placement from multiple angles in build mode. Adjust as needed to ensure the widest possible field of fire. This greatly improves automated threat detection and mitigates bugs.

Reloading Early Saves to Correct Firing

If all else fails, one last resort is reverting to an earlier save from before the turret malfunctions first appeared.

While this means losing recent progress, it may be the only surefire way to completely reset the turret behavior and scripts. Depending on how far back your latest save is, this option may not be worth the tradeoff.

But if you notice the issue occurring immediately after modifying your ship‘s weapons systems, reloading can directly undo the change that caused it.

Be sure to make hard saves at regular intervals whenever docked at a station or planetside. That way you have restore points to fall back on if needed.

Preventing Recurrence of Turret Problems

While frustrating, turret automation bugs are thankfully avoidable if you follow recommended best practices when building and modifying your ship:

Maintain clear firing lines by spacing turrets properly.
Recheck positioning after every component change or upgrade.
Limit horizontal stacking to 2 turrets at most.
Point turrets along different outward angles for full coverage.
Install higher grade sensors to improve targeting.
Assign crew members to manage weapons systems.
Save frequently, especially after altering ship configurations.
At first sign of issues, reposition or replace turrets.

Adhering to these guidelines when customizing your ship can help prevent the turret bugs from ever occurring in the first place.

But if you do find your turrets inexplicably failing to activate, this guide has you covered to quickly troubleshoot and resolve the problem. Just focus on methodically repositioning and replacing affected turrets until their automated targeting comes back online.

With properly functioning turrets guarding your six, you can fearlessly explore the farthest reaches of the Starfield universe. Never let a pesky technical glitch prevent you from enjoying this expansive new RPG journey to the stars!

Safe travels, and may your aim stay true should those turrets need a manual guiding hand.